(CNN) For most New Mexico residents, college will now be officially tuition-free.
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed on Friday Senate Bill 140, otherwise known as the New Mexico Opportunity Scholarship Act. First introduced in 2019, the plan will waive tuition for any students attending any in-state public school or tribal college, including community colleges.
"For over a quarter of a century, New Mexico has been a national leader in providing free college to its residents. A fully funded Opportunity Scholarship opens the door for every New Mexican to reach higher, strengthening our economy, our families and our communities," Lujan Grisham said in a statement . "Signing this legislation sends a clear message to New Mexicans that we believe in them and the contributions they will make for their families and the future of our great state."
Eligible students must enroll in a minimum of six credit hours and maintain a grade point average of at least 2.5 during their time in college. The scholarship has already been awarded to more than 10,000 students over the last two years, but now $75 million has been allocated to the fund, according to a press release by the governor's office. That could support up to 35,000 students this fall alone, according to the statement, and allows part-time students and adult learners to take advantage, as well.
When Lujan Grisham first proposed making tuition free in 2019, many had questions.
Significant-Win-9493 on March 8th, 2022 at 15:35 UTC »
In Tennessee I got my associates degree fully paid for
Only stipulations: must be a community college, must do community service (I think like 16 hours a year it’s not a lot), and a 2.7 GPA
Most people don’t take advantage of it and rather just go to big state schools but I got my associates and transferred to a big state school where I am now finishing off my degree.
0 debt so far
smeghead3 on March 8th, 2022 at 14:58 UTC »
They already had it if you graduated high school in New Mexico. They would pay tuition for 4 years of university in New Mexico if you started the following semester. I lived there, and in 2011 when my child graduated, they could have gone, but decided to work at Walmart instead. They eventually went to college in a different state.
Edit: I guess this was a part of the New Mexico Lottery, it is mentioned in this article.
Edit 2: Just FYI, they got a degree and they are working in their chosen field now, and I couldn’t be prouder! So everything worked out in the end.
Surfguitar on March 8th, 2022 at 14:47 UTC »
New Mexico's governor just signed a bill to make college tuition-free use taxpayer money for something that actually benefits them.